Russian Defence Min says possibility of attack on Kyiv will depend on conflict in Donbas

In a major development, the Russian Defence Ministry on Monday informed that the possibility of a Russian attack on Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv will depend on fighting in Ukraine's southeastern region, Donbas. According to Defense Ministry spokesperson, Oleksandr Motuzianyk, the Vladimir Putin-led country has kept units in the Gomel region of Belarus and the Bryansk and Kursk regions of Russia to stretch Ukraine’s defenses up north.  

Russia has almost completed its preparations for a new attack in eastern Ukraine, Motuzianyk said.

This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Monday, held a meeting with an expert group that has been making efforts to create a special procedure for the judicial review and pre-trial investigation of all crimes committed by Moscow's armed forces against Kyiv. During the meeting, they discussed launching a special international military tribunal that would help to provide a legal assessment of the evidence of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the President's office revealed in a statement. 

Ukraine begins inspecting infrastructure damaged by Russia

It is pertinent to mention here that Ukraine is awaiting the decision of the International Criminal Court on crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Furthermore, the Ukrainian authorities have started the procedure to inspect buildings and structures that have been destroyed in the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The authorities seek to determine the possibility of further action which is the restoration or dismantling of the structure in the former Soviet nation.

Surveys of the structure will be carried out by contractors who have passed professional certification and received qualification certificates for the right to carry out work like technical inspection of buildings and structures.

Lavrov reiterates displeasure with the US

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasised that Moscow will not bow to international pressure, by stating that the military operation in Ukraine aims to prevent America's goals for global dominance. According to Rossiya 24, Lavrov said their special military operation in Ukraine aims for a stoppage to the unprovoked expansion and reckless path toward complete dominance of the international stage by the US and the rest of the Western countries. He further claimed that this dominance is based on abuses of international law and the application of some unclear regulations that are imposed on occasion.